façade comprises of aluminum louvers that wrap around the entire building, facing towards the sun path to reduce direct sunlight into the building. The façade facing southwest and southeast are mostly covered compared to the facades facing the north side, which are excavated based on voids from the bridge formation to reveal the glazing behind.
North Façade Exposes More Glazing
North Courtyard with Façade Carved Away
Sun Path Diagram
Natural Ventilation Diagram
Main Entrance with Louver Coverage and Minimal Opening for Entrance
Pin-Point’s
is
Recycling System & Vacuum Toilets
Sprinkler System
Multi-split HVAC system
University Project LIMITS OF NATURE
Fifth Year Thesis - May 2023
Instructor: Wendy Fok
Awards: Final Degree Project Award; A + D Museum In School Critical Computation Alibi Winner; Featured on Dezeen
The Limits of Nature seeks to critique the current top-down design process within the context of the ongoing discourse on sustainable practices and our connection with the environment. While architects actively strive to create environmentally friendly futures through sustainable systems and green infrastructure, the industry remains susceptible to issues like greenwashing. This critique offers an alternative perspective that built upon visions of visionary architects like Étienne-Louis Boullée, who advocates for truly sustainable future where the human environment replicates and thrives harmoniously with the natural environment. The perspective seeks for a shift from the traditional human-centered design approach to a nature-centric, bottom-up design process. In this paradigm, biomaterials such as crystals take center stage, growing into architectural structures, and evolving alongside the natural world.
This approach minimizes human intervention, reducing the potential for errors and biases, relegating human design to the foundational skeletal structure or guiding elements of the building. Meanwhile, crystals’ inherent selforganizing and self-growing characteristics fill the building’s floors, walls, and window frames. By entrusting the age-old wisdom of nature regarding optimal organization, formation, and adaptation for survival, both humanity and the natural environment can coexist harmoniously within an ever-evolving and sustainable world.
Crystalized Building Construction Sequence
Crystalization Timeline at Room Scale and Building Scale
University Project CROSSROADS
Graduate - December 2023
Collaborated with: Lula Chou
Instructor: Laurie Hawkinson
What if the armory transcends its physical boundaries and becomes an urban condenser, a local culinary center, and a nexus of human connection?
With a balance of landscape and buildings, density and expanse, passages and destinations, this proposal utilizes the space under the armory roof to integrate various programs and specialized services. The integrated mixture will not only help support healthy lifestyles but also further enhance economic prosperity for its users and the surrounding neighborhood. The project unfolds across four interconnected towers, each dedicated to address specific local needs, including food, culture, sports, and health. Different user groups of the neighborhood meander through the armory, gaining a diverse range of experiences and social interactions with others. Opening up the exterior facade and sculpting pathways to allow people to use the building as a portal to shortcut passages and continuous journey experiences. The armory transcends into an intersection of extended opportunities for the explorers.
Students’ Activity Zone: View Inside Library.
From Aways’ Activity Zone: View at Subway Station Connection.
Local Residents’ Activity Zone: Across Bridge and Social Interactions on Upper Level
Patients’ Activity Zone: View at Sunken Courtyard and Stack Extrusion Out of the Existing Armory Walls.
Past Condition: Facade
Past Condition: Front Elevation
Concept Sketch
Concept Sketch
Internship Project DONGGUANGNAN STATION TOD
July 2019
Collaborated with: AECOM Shanghai Design Team
The Dongguangnan Station TOD is proposed to connect and be located in between three major districts: a traditional financial district, a large commercial, and a modern internal residential district. The site is located at the intersection of Metro Line 11 and Metro Line 6, running to the city core as well as across towards the crucial business and residential districts.
The surrounding areas is composed of mainly residential parcels with strong presence of educational facilities and commercial buildings, elevating the strength of the site for a TOD station to increase ease of transportation. The project proposes a series of mixed-used buildings on top of the station on two adjacent sites to integrate into the community with retail stores and community business, while enhancing business flourishment in the area.
Dongguangnan Station TOD proses a strong Green Building Plan with strong Sustainable Base Planning & Design with outdoor natural ventilation and solar access, Water Saving Design with reuse of collected rainwater and grey water system, and Building Energy Saving Design with VVVF lift & escalator and exhaust heat recovery systems.
